Charles t



v (No Model.)

No. 539,805. Patenteld May 28, 1895.

e l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE; i

Y CHARLES T. GIBSON, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CHALMERS PATTERSON, OF SAME PLACE.

HAS P-LOC K.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters 'Patent No. 539,805, dated May 28, 1895. pplicatill filed October 16, 1894. Serial No. 526,081. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES T. GIBSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled inthe art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide a lock in which the locking bolt is normally held retracted, that is to say, out of the path of the staple or locking head, by means of its engagement with a plate located beneath or behind the aperture through which the said head or staple enters, the said plate being, upon the entrance of the staple or head, forced rearwardly, thereby releasing the locking bolt, which is then shot into engagement with the staple or head by any suitable means it being held in engagement by a tumbler. Among the advantages resulting from this construc tion, it will be seen that as the locking bolt doesnot move away from the staple or lock` ing head at any time, except when the key is inserted, tumblers may be used, which, when the locking bolt has been released by the rearward movement of the dog plate and being shot, engage a projection thereon, and hold it against accidental or forced retraction, the tumblers themselves being moved by the key, when inserted to retract the bolt to permit such retraction. It will also be seen that the dog plate which is held in its forward position by springs not only serves to engage the locking bolt and hold it in its retracted position, but also to automatically eject the staple of locking head when the bolt is retracted. It is obvious that a lock having these general features may be applied to a variety of purposes with but slight changes of construction; butI have in the accompanying drawings and following specification shown and described a lock constructed especially with a view of its use upon Wagons carrying the United States mail, as it has been found in practice that when the ordinary spring lock is used the jolting results in a continual, if slight, retractive movement of the'bolt, which, being held by the binding instrument between the sides of the locking head or staple, and the aperture through which it 4is inserted toV press the bolt rearwardly. Neither of these results can occur with the use of my improved lock.

My invention therefore consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the several parts of which it is composed, as.

will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which corresponding parts are designated by similar marks of reference, Figure l is a central sectionon lines a: of Fig. 2, showing a detached lock constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation, the rear plate of the lock being removed for bettervillustration. tral section on line o: of Fig.2, showing the locking-plate and parts attached thereto, the bolt being shown in its retracted position. Fig. 4 is a section on' line y y of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is aperspective view of the dog-plate.

Fig. 3 is a cen-- The hasp A is provided at its one end with a hinged bolt B, whereby it may be secured to one of the parts to be locked, and is provided at its other end with a locking head C, provided upon its one surface (the upper surface, as shown in the drawings) with a locking notch or recesso. This constitutes one of the two parts of the lock.

The other part of the lock consists of the face plate D, and the partssecured thereto, the said face plate being attached to the other parts to be locked.

The face plate is provided with an aperture l to receive the locking head C, the aperture being surrounded by the iianges 2, in order to make as tight a joint as possible. The locking bolt is mounted against the rear surface of the face plate D, above the aperture 1, and is guided by the post 4 at its upper end, and by the studs 5, situated on each side of its lower en d, it being shot behind the aperture l of the face plate by the spiral spring 6,

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one end of which is connected with the stud 7 upon the face plate, and the opposite end with the projection 8 upon the locking bolt.

The dog plate 9, the configuration of which is shown in Figs. 4 and 5, is mounted immediately behind the aperture l in the plate, it having at each end a forward extending leg 10, each of which is bored at 11, to permit the passage of the post 12 projecting rearwardly from the face plate, each ot' the said legs having also a counter bore 13, surrounding the said posts 12, the upper portion ot` the rear of the said legs being connected by a nose 14. A spring is located within each counter bore and has its forward end bearing on the annular shoulder forming the bottom thereof, and its upper ends against a washer held in place by a screw 16 taking into the corresponding p0st12, and it will thus be seen that t he springs 15 will tend to constantly hold the forward end of the legs against the rear ot` the face plate, the nose 14 being so proportioned that when this is the case, its forward edge will lie in the path of the end of the locking bolt, and engage it-thus preventing it from projecting behind the aperture 1 in the face plate. When howeverythe locking head C is inserted in the aperture, its rear end will strike the bridge 17, joining the rear ends of the legs 10, and press the locking plate rear- Wardly,vcompressing the springs 15, and removing the nose 14 from out of the path ot' the locking bolt, which will then be shot by .the spring, locking the head C against withdrawal. When the locking bolt is retracted by the entrance ot a key, the tension of the compressed springs 15 will move the dog plate forward, ejecting the locking head from the aperture, and causing the nose 11 to again engage the end ot' the locking bolt, and hold it in its retracted position.

The tumblers 20 are pivoted on the posts 4, behind the locking bolt, the said tnmblers being provided with the usual steps and notches to engagethe stud 21 upon the rear of the locking bolt when the latter is shot.

The tumblers 2O are moved by a suitable key inserted in the hole 22 to permit the latter to retract the bolt, the tumblers and bolt l plate having an aperture therein to receive the locking head, of a slotted locking bolt mounted on the said plate, a spring having its opposite ends secured to the said plate and bolt and adapted to shoot the latter, a stud upon the locking bolt, t umblers adapted to engage the said stud, a pivot for the said tumbles passing through the slot in the locking bolt, a dog plate located behindthe aperture in the face plate and springs pressing the dog plate toward the face plate to engage the locking bolt substantially as described.

2. In a lock, the combination with a face plate having an aperture therein to receive the locking head, of a locking bolt, a spring tending to shoot the said bolt, a dog plate located behind the aperture in the face plate, consisting of legs united at their rear ends by a nose and bridge piece, screws passing through the said legs, springs contained in counter bores in the said legs and between the base thereot and the head of the said screws, and turnblers adapted to engage the said bolt when shot, substantially as described. y

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES T. GIBSON.

Witnesses:

JOHN L. HEBB,

HARRY M. SUTER. 

